A review of the suffrage “hike” or march to Albany, New York in January 1914, a little over 100 years ago. My grandparents Edna Kearns, Wilmer Kearns, and my mother’s older sister Serena Kearns started out from New York City on January 1, 1914 with Rosalie Jones and a band of other brave souls. The first video version about the march or “hike” to Albany, NY highlights newspaper articles of the period. It’s followed by a feature where I had fun. Check out the second video version.

Here’s another version of the same event with images from the Library of Congress and several examples of memorabilia from the Suffrage Wagon News Channel collection.

A review of the complete “Playing Politics with the President” story series in the event you missed any of the episodes: Podcast #1. Podcast #2.Podcast #3. Podcast #4. Podcast #5. Podcast #6. Podcast #7, Podcast #8, Podcast #9 of the nine-audio podcast series about US President Woodrow Wilson and the impending showdown over the issue of women voting. This is the leadup to when things became sticky and led to the National Woman’s Party picketing the White House and prison time in 1917.

Day #11. Betty Graham of Portland told others about testimony from a government doctor that lifted the suffragists’ spirits in Podcast #6 of the “Night of Terror.” The health of the pickets incarcerated at Occoquan Workhouse concerned many family members and friends. The podcasts reveal the daily concerns of those concerned, like freezing in their cells.

First-person accounts, like those in the audio podcasts, bring us closer to understanding the “Night of Terror.” I’ve been blogging for a total of ten days now in honor of the “Night of Terror” observance on November 15th, a partnership with Turning Point Suffragist Memorial Association.

“The Song of the Women” video. This is a reminder of the participation of New York women who joined in support of the picketing. On the “Night of Terror’ at the Occoquan Workhouse, 14 of the larger number hailed from New York State,

Let’s get behind Turning Point Suffragist Memorial in funding and building a memorial to the brave women who picketed the White House and experienced the “Night of Terror.” We want to make sure the memorial is complete before or in time for the 2020 votes for women centennial that will honor American women voting for 100 years. Think of it. Imagine it. Support it.

The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore is out. I haven’t had a chance to order the book yet. The advance publicity says the text makes a connection between Wonder Woman’s creator and the impact the suffrage movement had on him.

Today’s the last day of audio podcasts for “Playing Politics with the President.” My, you’ve been patient. Over the next few weeks we’ll be hearing the “Night of Terror” — a turning point in the suffrage movement in 1917 following the arrests at the White House and imprisonment at the Occoquan Workhouse. Turning Point Suffragist Memorial is holding its first annual “Night of Terror” observance from November 1 through the 15th as a fundraising event. Stay tuned!

VIDEO REMINDER: The fall issue of the Suffrage Wagon quarterly newsletter will be published soon. Make sure you’re subscribed. Issues are published in the summer, fall, winter, and spring.

PODCAST #9: “Playing Politics with the President.” Summary: As the activists of the National Woman’s Party ran out of options, Alice Paul and others shifted their sights to making suffrage a political issue and organizing the women voters of the Western states that won the franchise earlier than the rest of the nation. A comparison to the English suffrage movement is included in this final podcast of the series. The story is from Doris Stevens’ Jailed for Freedom, 1920. Production by Suffrage Wagon News Channel. Audio by Librivox.

Who was the better cook? The woman who believed in voting? Or the woman who opposed the idea? This may sound outlandish to us today, but the thought wasn’t so peculiar back when the “suffs” challenged the “antis” to a cooking contest. See the great article from the archives.

HOT VIDEO: Make scones in your kitchen with Suffrage Wagon Cooking School. Gather your friends and family members around and pull some fresh traditional English scones out of the oven to serve with hot beverages.

Podcast #8: “Playing Politics with the President.” Summary: Some people fold up in the face of opposition. For many suffragists, however, many became even more determined. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson had plenty of opportunities to come to terms with the issue of women voting. The activists sent deputation after deputation to visit Wilson. Repeatedly he told them he had more important business on his mind. It could have been easy, but Wilson chose the difficult route.

More than 60 years had passed since the 1848 Seneca Falls women’s rights convention. Enough already, said the National Woman’s Party. From this point on, suffrage becomes a difficult political issue. And coming soon: The story of the White House suffrage pickets, the “Silent Sentinels.” We’re getting closer to the end of this podcast series: “Playing Politics with the President.” Only one more podcast in this series. Production by Suffrage Wagon News Channel. Audio by Librivox. From Doris Stevens’ Jailed for Freedom, 1920.

I’m delighted to announce that my cousin Rosalie Morales Kearns has launched a new press in Albany, New York specializing in women’s writings:

Shade Mountain Press. The first title, Egg Heaven, has been favorably reviewed in Booklist and Foreword Reviews. This is terrific news! I’ve been curled up in the outside hammock reading Egg Heaven during the late afternoon over the past few days.

Your last chance to see the colorful countryside before all the gold and red leaves are on the ground and cold weather has set in. This past weekend Seneca Falls hosted people attending the Seneca Falls Dialogues. And don’t forget that special programs are ongoing at the Women’s Rights National Historic Park as well as exhibits at the National Womens Hall of Fame. Also, Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s birthday is coming up in November.

The Richard P. Hunt papers are open to the public at the Women’s Rights National Historical Park for the purpose of research. It’s a special event celebrating Richard Hunt’s 217th birthday. The Hunt House in Waterloo isn’t far from Seneca Falls. The Hunt papers include a thousand separate items dating from 1828 to 1856. Use the Hunt Family Papers weekdays by appointment from 9 to 4 at the park visitor center, 136 Fall Street, Seneca Falls. A finding aid/guide is available on the park website at http://www.nps.gov/wori/historyculture/upload/HFP-Finding-Aid.pdf. Contact Vivien Rose, Chief of Cultural Resources, at 568-2991 ext. 5000 or vivien_rose@nps.gov to make arrangements to see the papers.